


drag me by the heartbeat

by orphan_account



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, heejin is the new queen of kitchen fires move aside gowon, i guess you could consider this hyewonrim crumbs?, i wrote a fluff and lost a part of my soul in the process, jiwoo bites, microscopic viseul and yvesoul, samyang + neoguri is superior to shin ramen, side chuulip being dumb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 15:09:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20360572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: this is the fifth time heejin has failed at making popcorn and even she’s sick of it.in which heejin almost burns down the dorm five different times, and kim hyunjin, fourth floor residential assistant, takes matters into her own hands.





	drag me by the heartbeat

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote a fluff
> 
> thank u to the CC anon that helped me get this rolling and for edibles for sending me to another plane of existence as i write this fic. title given by @ _0222fm (love u)
> 
> no beta, we die like men

Heejin really doesn’t mean to do this.

Gowon’s the notorious kitchen burner, but to think that Heejin would soon be crowned princess of kitchen fires is something she never saw coming. _ Sure,_ she’s a little one-track minded and _ sure _ she’s bad at multitasking, but that doesn’t mean she’s trying to set off the fire alarm.

  
Once…

  
Twice…

  
Maybe five times?

  
The first two times isn’t her fault though! She grew up buying already popped popcorn – the nice kettle chip ones that come in closed packages – and she’s not particularly good with hot food to begin with. It makes sense that she would burn her first two bags; Heejin prefers luxury over frugality, a personal fallacy, and combined with her inexperience working with microwaves, the only logical outcome was that she burns her first two bags. And sets off the fire alarm. Two different times.

  
Very late at night.

  
People grumble a little, but the smell of burnt butter popcorn in the air is familiar to the tenants of the dorm. Taking advantage of the chaos, Heejin blends in with the crowd, fuzzy pink blanket wrapped around her, eyes forcibly squinted to mirror an expression of bleary discomfort rather than the hyper anxiety of her guilt-stricken heart as the entire dorm is herded outside to wait for the fire department.

  
By the fourth time, Jeon Heejin knows that she herself is a public menace, and that she should be faced with some sort of punishment for all those burned bags of popcorn throw into the trash only to catch fire as the ashes touch pizza-grease stained napkins. She should really stop trying to make popcorn anyways, these 2AM cramming sessions aren’t helping her grades, nor anyone else’s sleep schedule.

  
(Perhaps it’s a Freudian sort of thing – unconscious desire or the like. Maybe she’s acting on some sort of deep-seated resentment against classmates that look like they’re well-rested. Maybe, just maybe, Jeon Heejin is the vindictive type where if she can’t sleep, neither can you all.

  
But most likely, she’s an extremely sleep-deprived college kid trying to make microwavable popcorn, only to press the wrong button as she falls asleep on her feet.)

  
Either way, this is the fifth time Heejin has failed at making popcorn and even she’s sick of it. As the acrid smell of burnt food hits the ceiling, she presses her hands to her ears, already anticipating what was to come. Her feet head towards the entrance of the kitchen, lips curled with annoyance, familiar guilt twisting into the pit of her belly.

  
Normally she’d slink into the crowd of the emerging bodies reluctantly exiting their rooms, pretending to be a part of the annoyed mass that’s been forced to exit cozy beds because of some idiot (_her_).

  
Guilty or not, Heejin certainly doesn’t want to get caught in this embarrassing mess.

  
“It’s _ you_!”

  
An accusatory voice rings clear just moments before the first siren.

  
Heejin turns backwards, hands still pressed to the side of her head, back hunched ever so slightly in sheepish bemusement.

  
“It was _ you _ this entire time!”

  
Hyunjin, the fourth floor Residential Assistant, stands outside the kitchen with a pot filled with _ Samyang _ ramen supplies in one hand. The other is pointed straight at her, shocked.

  
Heejin grimaces.

  
“Ah, shit.”

  
\--

  
“You’re the bastard that’s been doing this!” Hyunjin near spits on the floor in what Heejin interprets as pure resentment. She shifts her feet to the left of the cushion, trying to shuffle her entire body on a single edge of the chair, far away from the contained rage that teeters between over-the-top humor and incredulous mockery.

  
Hyunjin sits on the floor and she’s a good head shorter than Heejin in this position so Hyunjin really shouldn’t be as intimidating as she is now. However, a simple glare, a barely perceptible squint of the eye, is enough to have Heejin almost tumbling off the cushion and onto the floor.

  
“How do you fuck up popcorn so badly?”

  
Honestly, Heejin doesn’t even know. But Hyunjin can’t know that.

  
So, she lies. “Uhh… I had to go pee?”

_  
Nice. _

  
Hyunjin near punches her.

  
“You almost burned down the building _ five _ times because you had to pee? Is this a joke?”

  
“Uhh… no?”

  
“Oh my god.”

  
Heejin pouts, “I thought RA’s were supposed to be nice and friendly.”

  
“RA’s are nice and friendly,” Hyunjin whips her head straight towards her, round eyes scrunched at the ends in a very hard stare. Heejin feels her entire body shrivel involuntarily. “When their residents don’t wake them up three weeks in a row by burning the same bag of popcorn.”

  
“Sorry.”

  
“As you should be.”

  
Heejin falls silent.

  
Maybe Hyunjin feels a little bad about being so harsh because soon there’s a hand on her shoulder – gentle, unlike the rest of this interaction. “It’s fine. I just need you to promise me that anytime you try to make food, you come to me first. I don’t usually sleep early anyways.”

  
Heejin tries not to look too incredulous, but Hyunjin’s small smirk makes it obvious that her jaws already dropped.

  
“Why?”

  
“Because, as much as you are a pain in the ass, it’s nothing compared to Haseul’s nonstop nagging, insisting that someone in our building is yelling out a plea for help and not just awful at reading directions.” Hyunjin frowns, “As much as I dislike the idea of having you possibly wake me at the strangest time, I like it more than the alternative of Haseul taking the nickname ‘Momseul’ way too seriously.”

  
“So, you want me to just wake you up? Whenever I want?”

  
Hyunjin nods, “Whenever.”

  
“And you won’t get mad?”

  
“No.”

  
“Really?”

  
“Really.”

  
Heejin shrugs, “Huh.”

  
“Alright, we have a deal.” Hyunjin sticks out a hand, her lips pulled into a smile that shows off sharp canines. “Hopefully, I’ll never have to see you at night.”

  
\--

  
Heejin tries to be good – _ really _.

  
She decides it’s better not to keep eating snacks so late at night; her face is threatening to break out anyways, and she hasn’t been hitting the gym as much with incoming midterms, so this is good for her. Calling all her self-restraint, Heejin stashes her bag of _ Neoguri _ ramen and popcorn beneath her bed, ignoring the concerned look she gets from her roommate extraordinaire Son Hyejoo.

  
“What are you doing?” Hyejoo’s soft voice calls out from her desk, the game she’s playing paused mid-sequence.

  
Heejin jumps, not having expected the girl to talk to her. (They’ve had like three interactions this whole year, and most of it was Hyejoo saying “good morning” as Heejin replied “good night” at four in the morning.)

  
“Just putting these away. If you want some, you’re free to take them.”

  
Hyejoo looks at her, then at the box, and then back at her. “So, you decided to stop terrorizing the dorm?”

  
Heejin balks. “You knew?”

  
“It’s not really a secret,” Hyejoo shrugs, the blanket draped around her shoulders falling halfway off. “Whenever you leave the room to go to the kitchen, the fire alarm goes off. I stopped exiting the building after the first two times.”

  
“Aren’t the alarms annoying?”

  
Hyejoo taps at her thick headset, “Noise-cancelling.”

  
“Incredible,” Heejin gives an incredulous sort of look, something akin to awe and respect. “Huh, you’re pretty cool.”

  
Hyejoo grunts. Heejin doesn’t quite know how to interpret it, but she assumes it means something similar to “You’re okay, I guess.”

  
She’ll take it.

  
Kicking the box of midnight snacks into the furthest corner beneath her bed, Heejin dusts her hands off and continues packing her stuff for her (possible overnight) trip to the library. Once she’s at the door, her body already halfway out, she turns towards her roommate once more and flashes a smile, “If I actually manage to cause a fire, I promise I’ll run to you and help you carry your stuff out.”

  
Hyejoo chuckles – she smiles, a real smile – and rolls her eyes. “I’ll be fine. I’ve survived a fire before. See you later, good luck studying.”

  
The door closes before Heejin can ask what the fuck that means.

  
\--

  
Two cups of coffee and a whole hour-long mental breakdown contemplating the meaning of her existence later, Heejin is finally kicked out of the library at midnight by her other panicking friends.

  
Jiwoo at least looks apologetic as she packs Heejin’s loose papers into a neat stack, but Chaewon grabs her by the collar and near drags her out for being a nuisance in their private study room. “You’re not allowed to come back until you can promise you won’t be distracting,” she threatens, normally bright eyes tinged with a hint of red – Chaewon’s always been somewhat unhinged, but the red eyes really push it to a whole new level. “Got it, Jeon Heejin?”

  
Heejin gulps nervously, unused to being threatened by a five-foot-tall hobbit with arms as tough as brittle sticks. “Understood.”

  
“Good,” Chaewon pushes her laptop into her arms, shooing her out. “Jiwoo and I have to go through our own breakdowns.”

  
Having nowhere else to go in the recesses of night, Heejin trudges her way back to the dorm, settling on the common room adjacent to the kitchen to finish the rest of her practice set. Curse her hopeful younger self for thinking being a computer science was a good idea – she can’t do math, what was she thinking?

  
“Rough night?”

  
A familiar voice calls from the hallway leading to the kitchen.

  
Heejin looks up, eyes threatening to drip tears of frustration, her entire body hunched over her laptop and scattered pieces of paper. Even her hair is in complete disarray, her fingers having nervously combed through it enough to scatter the usual perfect part.

  
Hyunjin stands with her left shoulder leaning against the wall. She’s wearing a hoodie and some shorts that disappear beneath the oversized top. A pot of steaming fried rice is held in her hand, the smell quickly filling the air.

  
“I want to die,” Heejin says pitifully, cheek smashed against the table.

  
Hyunjin at least looks sympathetic despite the amused grin that works its way onto her lips. “What’re you working on?”

  
“Math.”

  
“Can I see?”

  
Placing the pot down on the carpeted floor (“Won’t that leave a burn?” Heejin asks. Hyunjin shrugs, “The carpets stained enough”), Hyunjin settles across where Heejin remains slumped over. “Algorithms?”

  
“Mhm. It’s hard.”

  
Hyunjin hums, deftly moving through the stack of disorganized papers Heejin pushes in her direction. “I remember taking this class last year.”

  
Heejin perks up immediately, “You took it last year?”

  
“Yeah. Did okay. Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

  
Taking back the stack of papers, Heejin watches as Hyunjin exits the common room and heads in the direction of her room. The smell of fried rice continues to permeate – Heejin’s stomach grumbles in response, her concentration shot by the sudden appearance of hunger taking ahold of her. Maybe she could ask Hyunjin for a bite? There’s enough in there to easily feed two people… right? Or maybe, she could just sneak a piece of spam – Hyunjin wouldn’t miss it. It’s just a small piece of fried spam!

  
Biting her lower lip, Heejin scoots closer to where the metal pot shines so brightly from its place on the floor, its contents glistening, just begging to be eaten.

  
“Just one piece,” she mumbles, pointer finger and thumb ready to pinch an elevated piece of spam from its bed of rice and into her waiting mouth, “Just a piece…”

  
“You know, you could just ask?”

  
Heejin freezes, her arm outstretched, hand suspended in midair. Hyunjin is back in her previous position, leaning against the wall all effortlessly cool with her arms crossed, a notebook and two spoons dangling from her hands.

  
“Uhh,” she snaps back, shame and embarrassment creating a fire on her cheeks. Hyunjin smirks, sitting back down across from Heejin, completely ignoring the humiliation radiating from every pore of her being.

  
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Hyunjin says all too seriously.

  
Heejin wants to throw herself out the window.

  
“Sorry.”

  
“It’s fine, here. I brought an extra spoon for a reason.” Hyunjin smiles at her, somehow managing to slip a metal spoon into Heejin’s closed fist. “Besides, it’s better if you eat something I cooked then try and make ramen later tonight by yourself.”

  
“I’m not that bad,” the words sound meek, even to her own ears. “I can take care of myself.”

  
“I’m sure you can,” Hyunjin replies, “But those five bags of popcorn beg to differ.”

  
“Touché.”

  
“Anyways, algorithms,” Heejin watches as Hyunjin opens a regular spiral notebook, meticulously neat handwriting spilling from its pages. “Which chapter are you guys on?”

  
“Three? I think.”

  
“Okay, I should have the notes,” Hyunjin raises an eyebrow, chin pointed at the steaming pot of rice, “You’re free to eat as much as you want. I made enough for three people and then some.”

  
“Are you sure?”

  
“Yeah.”

  
“Really?”

  
“Really.”

  
“But _ really_?”

  
Hyunjin sighs, “Eat or else I’m packing it away in a Tupperware right now.”

  
That’s enough to get Heejin lurching forward, spoon eagerly scooping the contents of the delicious smelling fried rice into her mouth. Maybe it’s because she’s hungry, or maybe it’s because she’s emotionally volatile and on the brink of a total breakdown, but the fried rice is especially delicious with notes of something savory and an underlying sweetness. Running through an entire Food Channel critique in her mind, Heejin voices her appreciation with a mangled “Mmm!” and a clumsy thumbs-up that ends with her spoon clattering onto the floor.

  
It’s totally lame and feeds Heejin’s increasing need to throw herself off the fourth story.

  
“You’re a mess,” Hyunjin states almost matter-of-factly, but she ends up laughing in the end so Heejin takes it as a win (even if it cost her her dignity). “Here, after you’re finished.”

  
The notebook, now flipped to a page titled “Chapter Three” is placed next to her. Hyunjin stands, a Tupperware full of fried rice placed on the corner of the table. Heejin expects her to leave – instead, Hyunjin pulls out a book from below the low-lying table and gets settled on the couch behind her. The same couch Heejin is currently using as a backrest as she sits on the ground, fingernails nervously scratching up fragments of dirty carpet.

  
“If you have any questions, let me know,” Hyunjin says plainly.

  
Heejin blinks. “It’s like… two in the morning.”

  
“I don’t have class until one in the afternoon.” Hyunjin flips a page in her book, her eyes never once leaving the page.

  
Heejin doesn’t quite know how to process it all, but she chalks it up to some RA duty or another and lets Hyunjin do as she pleases. Besides, her PSET still exists, looming over her head like a dark cloud.

  
Two turns into three, which turns into four and by the time Heejin finishes the final problem, the clouds have parted and the moonlight has faded to a light blue indicating the appearance of the incoming sun. Heejin rubs at her eyes, glasses lopsided, glee radiating from her sleepy form.

  
“Finished!” She cheers, holding up her completed work with both hands. “I’m finally done!”

  
Hyunjin lies on the couch, her face covered by the book that she has pressed against her face. Heejin doesn’t quite get how she can breathe through the heavy pages filled with words and pictures, but it’s still an endearing image – she’ll even go as far to admit that Hyunjin snoring ever so softly is probably one of the cutest things she’s ever heard.

  
But then again, it’s almost five in the morning, and Heejin is certain she’s hit some special delirious high that comes from being this sleep-deprived.

  
“Hey, Hyunjin?” She shakes the RA’s shoulder cautiously, “Wake up.”

  
Hyunjin groans, her eyes flicking opening at a speed that’s more concerning than anything else.

  
“What time is it?”

  
Heejin lifts her phone up, “Five.”

  
“And you just finished?” Hyunjin’s voice is low and gravelly from having just woken up. Heejin can’t help but think it’s one of the most attractive things she’s ever.

  
“Yeah,” she mumbles, half apologetic, half hoping that Hyunjin would continue to grumble-talk. “Sorry, I should have woken you up earlier so you can sleep in your room.”

  
“No sleeping in the common rooms,” Hyunjin mumbles, though the words are directed more to herself. With another groan, she lifts herself up into a sitting position, gathering her sparse belongings with nothing more than a tired sigh. She presses a single hand against Heejin’s head, fingers gliding through messy knots. Heejin can feel the sleepy heat radiate from her skin – the same heat that travels down her skin, burning her ears before tightening around her chest. Hyunjin continues, unaware, until her hand travels through the length of Heejin’s hair, a sluggish smile on her face.

  
“G’night,” Hyunjin says, standing up and exiting the common room with lumbering steps.

  
Heejin stays behind, feet rooted to the ground.

  
She doesn’t get a wink of sleep that night, but she does get a perfect score on her problem set.

  
\--

  
“Are you sure it’s not like some secret RA duty to stay behind and make sure your residents aren’t sleeping in the common space?”

  
Jungeun gives her a look, one that clearly asks “_what the fuck_” without the need to verbalize her feelings.

  
“Definitely not,” Jungeun responds instead after a moment of contemplative silence. She grabs a rather dry looking chicken breast from the dining hall line. Heejin crinkles her nose in quiet disgust as Jungeun proceeds to pour an entire ladle of gravy over it. “Residents be damned, I go to bed by at least midnight.”

  
The chicken with it’s torn skin glistens beneath the heat lamp. Heejin turns her head, her stomach twisting as she takes another glance at Jungeun’s gravy-drenched piece.

  
She opts for a salad instead.

  
“Maybe you’re just a bad RA,” Heejin grumbles, scouring the dining hall for an empty seat.

  
Jiwoo waves from the distance, Jungeun beams back, quickly heading in the direction of her girlfriend. Heejin tags along, though not without at least some trepidation – as much as she loves, scratch that, absolutely _ adores _ Jungeun and Jiwoo, being the constant third wheel in their relationship was something she had not foreseen when they first got together. Not only did it serve as a constant reminder of how miserably single she is but walking in on her friends doing more than PG rated things really burned itself to the back of her eyelids.

  
(Now she can’t look at them without recalling how Jungeun towered over Jiwoo, and the number of red hickeys that doted pale skin. It was almost artful, but also really traumatizing.)

  
“Heejin,” Jiwoo says, her usual high pitch upped another octave in apology, eyes and lips both round and downcast, almost like a moping puppy, “I’m so sorry about last night. Chaewon was really stressed about our project, and we were a little mean kicking you out…”

  
“It’s okay,” Heejin stabs one of the roasted sweet potatoes, holding the item near her lips. She grins, just for an extra measure of reassurance. “I was being really distracting, I get it. I managed to finish the PSET in the end so, no harm done!”

  
“Jiwoo was whining about it all day, thinking you hate her now,” Jungeun interjects, only to receive a hard thump on the shoulder by said girl. “Ow!”

  
“Shush. I was just worried – Chaewon and I both get grumpy when we’re sleepy.”

  
“Yeah,” Heejin chuckles, recalling Chaewon’s bloodshot eyes in their shared morning World Lit. class. “I don’t think she slept at all last night.”

  
Jiwoo shrugs, “I think she’s been awake for almost three days now.”

  
“No wonder she’s so unhinged all the time.”

  
“Jungeun, be nice!”

  
“Hey,” Heejin cuts in between the bickering couple, a piece of carrot glittering with balsamic vinegar stuck on the edge of her fork. “I think my roommate is a demon.”

  
Jungeun gives an incredulous stare, openly showing her skepticism. Jiwoo, on the other hand, only looks mildly concerned, round eyes growing double their size in newfound excitement.

  
“What the fuck?”

  
“Really?”

  
Two different reactions, both delivered at the same time. Very couple-like indeed.

  
Heejin chews on the end of her carrot thoughtfully, nodding as she recounts the strange conversation she had with her roommate the previous night.

  
“Cool! You should ask her about it,” Jiwoo claps her hands animatedly, “Maybe she has powers or something!”

  
Jungeun, in contrast, shoots Heejin a speechless stare. “Are we not going to talk about how Heejin’s almost burned her dorm down five times now?”

  
“That’s in the past, Jungeun! We’re discussing her possible demon roommate, which frankly speaking, is much more exciting than Heejin’s inability to cook,” Jiwoo tuts, finger wagging in front of Jungeun’s face. The latter pretends to bite at it, which leads to Jiwoo squealing, pulling her finger away as she laughs brightly.

  
Heejin pretends to gag.

  
Jungeun notices and proceeds to kiss Jiwoo on the cheek just to gloat. Heejin sends a swift kick under the table.

  
Jiwoo doesn’t seem to notice Jungeun’s suddenly writhe in pain nor the grit in her teeth – she, instead, turns to Heejin, the top end of her chopsticks pointed right at the tip of her nose. “So, should we hold an exorcism or something? I’m sure Chaewon knows something – she and Yerim always watch horror movies together.”

  
“We are not getting Chaewon and Yerim to do a séance of any sort,” Jungeun hisses, still clearly in pain, “Yeojin will probably hear about it, and who knows what kind of scene that’ll cause. The last time they tried to summon a demon, we were cleaning ketchup off the walls of the bathroom for hours. Sooyoung, Hyunjin, and I all ended up having to throw our shirts away because of the dye—”

  
“Hyunjin!” Heejin jabs at the shriveled lettuce with enough force to puncture the limp leaf. “You know Kim Hyunjin!”

  
“Huh?” Jungeun says dumbly.

  
She’s clearly confused, but Heejin was always the impatient type and has no time with exposition. Instead, she waves her fork around like mad, stabbing at her salad and shoving the contents in her mouth before repeating the process. “Kim Hyunjin! She’s my RA. The one that stayed up with me.”

  
“Hyunjin?” Jungeun grows more disbelieving, her mouth pulled into a permanent “_Huh_?” sort of look.

  
Jiwoo takes the opportunity to try and shove a finger in the gap between her girlfriend’s lips.

  
“Yeah,” Heejin continues, ignoring Jungeun’s bashful protest and Jiwoo’s gleeful snicker, “She stayed up with me until like five. Or well, she fell asleep sometime between three and four – she’s really cute, and has the softest snore ever, and kind of reminds me of a cat. Also, her voice when she wakes up? Ugh.”

  
“Heejin, you’re rambling,” Jungeun says.

  
“Right,” Heejin coughs, embarrassed. “I’m running on two hours of sleep and a cup of coffee, ignore anything that comes out of my mouth. Anyways, what I’m trying to say is that is it normal for RAs to do that?”

  
“Are you fucking dumb?”

  
Not even Jiwoo protests Jungeun’s use of profanities.

  
Heejin just blinks, slow. “What?”

  
“Are you fucking dumb?” Jungeun repeats, this time punctuated by Jiwoo’s “Oh dear.”

  
“No?”

  
“You’re a stupid lesbian, that’s what you are.”

  
“Bisexual,” Heejin quickly corrects, “But continue.”

  
Jungeun continues her exasperated look, though she throws her hands up in a display of annoyed exaggeration. “Oh my god, you’re an idiot. RAs don’t do that sort of shit, and they especially do _ not _ stay up with their residents, helping them with their homework.”

  
“So… you’re saying, she wasn’t obligated to do that?” Heejin feels the wheels in her brain turning, slowly, carefully – she can feel the last of the caffeine being drained into this current puzzle, and unfortunately, there isn’t enough fuel left for her to figure this conundrum out on her own. “So, what you’re saying is… what? She’s just a great RA?”

  
“Oh sweetie,” Jiwoo says with the Southern Belle sort of mock politeness that Heejin just takes in stride. “You can’t seriously be this dense.”

  
“I’m not,” Heejin pouts. “Just very sleepy. What’s happening, just tell me. Two hours, remember? You can’t seriously be expecting me to be cognizant of anything.”

  
“Jeon Heejin, your RA definitely has a crush on you. And from what I’m seeing,” Jungeun smirks, “You’re also interested.”

  
“Oh.”

  
The realization hits like a truck.

  
Heejin feels her entire self float upwards, soul ascending as her body stays rooted to Earth. Maybe this entire thing is a delusional dream – maybe she had fallen asleep again. It’s only when Jungeun takes revenge, kicking her in the shins, that Heejin snaps back to reality, the pain tugging hard until she’s plummeting back into orbit. She glares at the girl.

  
Jungeun whistles innocently.

  
“So, she stayed up with you all night?” Jiwoo urges, clearly eager for more information. “Anything else?”

  
“She also said to wake her up whenever I tried to cook,” Heejin adds meekly, “And gave me some of the fried rice she made last night.”

  
Jungeun looks like she wants to punch her. Jiwoo, as per usual, acts the total opposite and grabs at Jungeun’s hands, pressing them against her own cheeks as she gives Heejin the brightest smile she’s ever seen on a human being. (One that’s rivaled only by Choi Yerim, a.k.a. the literal sun).

  
Heejin falls down her seat, head barely raised above the table where her half-eaten salad sits waiting. “And she may have given me her algorithm notes from last year.”

  
“She likes you! Hyunjin has a crush on Heejin!” Jiwoo yells loud enough for the occupants of their surrounding table to stop and stare. “And you like her!”

  
“I mean,” Heejin protests weakly, “I barely know her?”

  
“But you still think she’s cute.” Jungeun replies.

  
“Yes.”

  
“Well, Haseul literally almost ran over her current girlfriend with a golf cart during orientation, so I say this is a better start,” Jiwoo states a little too optimistically. Heejin grimaces, recalling what could have been an unfortunate tragedy the first day of school.

  
Jungeun chuckles, “True. Anyways, Heejin, if you’re unsure, just ask her? You live on the same dorm, don’t you?”

  
“Same floor.”

  
“Even better,” Jiwoo and Jungeun grin, throwing her a thumbs-up, one that’s eerily synchronized, “Go get yourself a cute girlfriend.”

  
\--

  
Heejin crashes as soon as she enters her room. Having just finished her last class of the day, she sets an alarm to wake up in time for dinner at six and falls head-first into the deepest two-hour nap of her life.

  
Apparently, it’s too deep because when she wakes up, phone pressed against her cheek, drool staining her pillowcase, the sun has set and her roommate is beneath the single light of a lamp that sits on her personal desk.

  
It’s definitely past her set two hours.

  
“What time is it?” Heejin asks groggily, eyes refusing to open past a narrow squint.

  
Hyejoo stays silent. The sound of clicking fills the air, interspersed cursing sliding between.

  
Heejin closes her eyes, allowing herself another five minutes before forcing herself to look at her phone. The numbers “9:00PM” glow over her lockscreen photo of her dog back home.

  
“Oh shit, I missed dinner.”

  
Maybe she caught her at a good time because Hyejoo finally seems to notice she’s awake. Sliding down her massive headphones, Hyejoo swivels on her chair, twisting her body so she’s facing Heejin’s crumpled self.

  
“You’re awake. Good evening.”

  
“Evening,” Heejin responds, pushing herself onto her elbows. She’s still extremely disoriented, sleep clinging heavily to every limb, “Hey, Hyejoo?”

  
“Hmm?” Her roommate is on her phone, texting someone. “What’s up?”

  
Heejin takes a breath. Then decides to take the plunge.

  
“Are you a demon?”

  
Silence fills the air. Heejin sits up all the way, yawning, clearly unaware of how Hyejoo gapes in a similar manner to Jungeun’s earlier look of exasperation.

  
“What?”

  
Heejin takes off her shirt, opting to dress down into an oversized flannel and a pair of athletic shorts, “Are you a demon?”

  
“No?”

  
“Cool, cool. Just wanted to make sure.” Yawning again, Heejin gathers her things again, ready to head out and pull another all-nighter since she slept away the entire day. “Anyways, I probably won’t be back until late, sorry if I’m loud coming back in.”

  
“It’s cool,” Hyejoo answers, one hand already on her headphone, ready to place them back over her ears. “You think I’m a demon?”

  
Heejin returns her curious stare with one of her own, “Prove to me you’re not?”

  
Silence crackles between them again.

  
Hyejoo eventually chuckles, one side of her lips lifting higher than the other in an amused grin. “Guess I can’t. You’re pretty cool, Jeon Heejin. Weird, but cool.”

  
Chest puffed out in pride, Heejin responds with a quick “You too” before Hyejoo blocks out the world against with her noise-cancelling headphones. Heejin feels like she’s passed some sort of test – if a demon could accept her as a roommate, then she’s sure she can go talk to Hyunjin.

  
Yeah.

  
She’ll go talk to Hyunjin.

  
\--

  
  
“What are you doing?”

  
Hyunjin stands behind her, wrapped only in a towel.

  
Heejin feels her entire face flush, hands flying to cover her face to avoid staring.

  
“Uh.” _ Nice save_.

  
Hyunjin waits for another moment. Heejin does her best – she really does – but all the words fumble out of her brain, emptying the useless thing because wow Kim Hyunjin has nice collarbones, but that’s besides the point. Should she start with sorry? Would it be bad to sneak another peak?

  
Goddammit, she can’t stop thinking about her collarbones.

  
“Collar,” the word slips out before Heejin can stop herself.

  
Hyunjin tilts her head, wet hair sliding past her shoulder. “Collar?”

_  
Oh, for fuck’s sake._

  
“Collar… collard greens! They had collard greens for dinner. I missed dinner – I slept past, well I meant to get up, but accidentally slept through my alarms. And my roommate, who says she’s not a demon but couldn’t prove to me she’s not an actual one, didn’t wake me up either.”

_  
Nailed it_.

  
Heejin hears the amusement in Hyunjin’s voice before she can see it – her hands are still covering her eyes after all. “So, you came here to ask for food?”

_  
No. _ “Yes?” _ Fuck_.

  
Hyunjin laughs, the sound a complete contrast from the gruffness of yesterday (this morning’s?) low rumble. “Alright, I can make something. Do you mind waiting in the kitchen? I’m still naked and it’s kind of cold.”

  
Heejin steps to the side, ears burning. “Yeah! Sorry, I didn’t mean, of course. This is your room after all – I’ll just uh, stop talking and wait in the kitchen.”

  
“Perfect, see you there.”

  
Hyunjin smiles at her all prettily, sliding past to enter her room.

  
The door slams shut, and for the second time, Heejin is left staring at wood wondering what the fuck just happened.

  
Luckily, she manages to pull herself out of her shell-shocked state and heads towards the kitchen. A couple of girls have taken the couch Hyunjin had fallen asleep on the previous night; all their laptops are pulled out, and the sound of clacking keys serve as the only background noise to an otherwise quiet dorm.

  
Heejin opts to settle into one of the four chairs of the single round table that occupies the middle of the kitchen of the fourth floor. Placing her backpack on the ground, she pulls out her book and laptop. A word document pops forward as soon as her laptop turns on; her report (_due tomorrow!_)is half-written and haphazardly decorated with highlighted words and little mental notes to herself – none of which actually help, but it’s nice to know sleep-deprived Heejin had at least made an attempt to hash out a coherent piece of literary review.

  
It’s only too bad she did her report on the wrong book!

  
But that’s fine!

  
It’s fine!

  
(It’s not fine.)

  
Mussing up her hair, Heejin groans, forehead pressed against the top of the table.

  
“Again?”

  
Lifting her head, Heejin rests her cheek against the palm of her hand, pouting despite herself. Her glasses sit on the edge of her nose, and no matter how she scrunches her face, they refuse to move up her nose bridge and remain teetering off the rounded end instead. Hyunjin chuckles, clearly amused by her antics (Heejin feels her heart expand – it’s always nice seeing Hyunjin smile), and places a plastic bag filled with miscellaneous objects on the counter.

  
Hyunjin’s wearing the same oversized black hoodie as last night, the one where the hem drapes way below the bottom of her shorts. It almost feels like déjà vu, except this time Hyunjin’s hair is still partly wet and tied up in a loose ponytail. And she’s wearing bread slippers.

  
Bread slippers.

_  
They’re pretty darn cute. _

  
“I like your slippers,” Heejin comments, using her chin to point in the general direction of Hyunjin’s feet. “They’re cute.”

  
“Thanks, got them from Jinsol as a Christmas gift.”

  
“Jinsol?”

  
The plastic bag rustles as Hyunjin pulls out a carton of eggs, some scallions, and kimchi. There’s some other stuff too, like frozen _ mandu _ and microwavable rice – Heejin feels her mouth water just at the thought of having beautiful plain white rice. (The dining hall always had brown rice – “Healthy!” Haseul would say as Chaewon continued to ball the mushy overcooked grains next to her.)

  
But now’s not the time to be drooling over rice. Not when this unknown “Jinsol” character, who gifted Hyunjin these incredibly hilarious and amazingly cute bread slippers, could be a mysterious girlfriend of some sorts.

  
“Maybe you know her? She’s friends with Jungeun, the RA in the other dorm. Dating Sooyoung?”

  
Heejin frowns, “Ha Sooyoung? Like Econ major, part of Korean Students Association?”

  
“That’s the one,” Hyunjin nods, “Are you allergic to anything?”

  
“Nope, no allergies. I didn’t realize they were dating.”

  
“Yeah, Jinsol’s the blond the hangs around despite never having attended a single KSA event.”

  
“Hilarious.”

  
“Truly. Omelets, rice, and pan-fried dumplings okay? I have some kimchi too.”

  
Heejin lets herself drool again, now that the threat of this “Jinsol” had been neutralized, her stomach gives a loud rumble in relief. “Perfect.”

  
“Okay,” Hyunjin looks over her shoulder, sending her a small grin. “Anything else you want?”

  
“Nope.” _ You? No, that’s bad. Don’t say that you idiot. _

  
“Cool, I’ll get started then.”

  
Heejin smiles. She feels her ears heat up again, though with something else warm and fluttery – it’s different from the shame of yesterday and embarrassment of today. This time, the heat is welcoming – nice even, and _ oh shit _ she might be crushing on her RA.

  
“Hey Hyunjin?” She calls from her book, the pages covering the lower half of her face.

  
Hyunjin doesn’t bother turning around, hands preoccupied with chopping scallions into thin pieces. “What’s up?”

_  
Are you single? Are you interested in me? Do you do this to everyone? Are you just an _ insanely _ nice person that offers to cook and stay up with anyone because if that’s the case I might have to fight for your hand and I don’t think I’m physically strong enough to fight anyone. _“Thanks. You didn’t have to do all of this.”

  
The eggs are cracked and throw into a bowl along with some salt, pepper, and other stuff Heejin doesn’t recognize. Hyunjin continues to whisk them with her chopsticks, seemingly unbothered by the entire silent exchange.

  
“No problem,” Hyunjin responds. “Can’t have you starving.”

  
Heejin feels her head swell with unsaid thoughts. “Do you do this with everyone?”

  
“Do what?”

  
The sound of eggs sizzling on the frying pan shoot straight into Heejin’s ear. God she’s hungry.

  
“Cook for everyone. Are you this nice to all your residents?”

  
Hyunjin throws her an incredulous look – Heejin has been getting a lot of those lately.

  
“You think I cook for everyone?”

  
Heejin shrugs, “I think my roommate is a demon, so yeah. I think anything is possible.”

  
“Do you think I have enough eggs in my personal fridge to cook for all five hundred residents of this dorm?”

  
“Maybe you _ really _ like eggs.”

  
“Believe what you want,” Hyunjin snorts. It sounds fond. Heejin takes that as a second win. “But no, the answer is I don’t cook for everyone.”

  
“Then why me?”

  
Was that too forward? Oh, it definitely was.

  
A grimace forces its way onto Heejin’s face. She opens her mouth, mind whirling for some sort of excuse that could pull the conversation back on track and not into this… this unmarked territory. Besides, Jiwoo and Jungeun could be totally off-mark and they could be completely wrong about Hyunjin having any interest in her. (Which would be kind of sad because Heejin might just be the slightest bit interested too, but only if Hyunjin likes her first. Heejin never texts first, _ ever,_ and in this case, she _ never _ would admit to having feelings first.)

  
But then again, all this internal monologue turns out to be is ridiculous because Hyunjin doesn’t waste a second answering.

  
“I think you’re cute.”

  
“Oh.” _ Smooth_. “Me?” _ Extra smooth. _

  
Hyunjin snickers, “Yes, you. I saw you during freshman orientation last year and wanted to talk to you, but we lived in different dorms. Also, regular rice or kimchi fried rice?”

  
“Regular, we had fried rice yesterday. Wait, seriously? Since last year? I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize.”

  
“It’s fine, we lived apart and are completely different majors so,” Hyunjin interjects before Heejin can embarrass herself further. “I’m happy you think I’m nice enough to cook for every sad college kid, but unfortunately I can only invest so much money and time for people I want to get closer to.”

  
The frying pan sizzles, splashing some oil into the air as Hyunjin gracefully flips the omelet without the assistance of a spatula.

  
“Like me?” Heejin points to herself, book forgotten, left to sprawl on the tabletop alongside her other schoolwork.

  
Hyunjin nods, “Like you.”

  
Heejin blinks once, “Huh.”

  
“Yep.”

  
“Me?”

  
“You.”

  
“Really?”

  
“Really.”

  
“But _ really? _”

  
“Heejin,” Hyunjin sighs through her nose, “We had this exact same conversation yesterday. But yes, you, and yes, really. This isn’t me asking you out though – just wondering if you’re okay with spending time, knowing that I think you’re cute.”

  
“No, definitely, totally fine. I mean,” Heejin stands, wanting to be some sort of help. She takes the microwavable rice, placing the package in said machine and pressing the two minutes as specified by the package. “I think you’re cute too.”

  
Surprise settles on Hyunjin’s face; her eyebrows shoot up rapidly, her nostrils flaring ever so slightly. There might even be a tinge of pink shadowed on her cheeks, but Heejin can’t tell in the faded yellow light of the overhead fixtures of the kitchen. Either way, it’s a nice contrast to Hyunjin’s usual cool façade. “Really?”

  
Heejin punches start. The microwave roars to life. “Yeah.”

  
“Okay,” Hyunjin replies, still so effortlessly cool as she rolls the eggs into a perfect shape, sprinkling the rest of the scallions on top to make it fancy. “Nice.”

  
“Yeah. Nice.”

  
“Also, did you open the top of the rice to let the steam escape?”

  
Heejin flinches, “Was I supposed to?”

  
“Yes.” The stove fire flares as Hyunjin turns up the heat. She places the finished eggs onto the empty plate and sprinkles another drizzle of oil to start cooking the frozen _ mandu_. “You have to peel back the top halfway, there should be a dotted line indicating where to stop.”

  
“Oh shit,” Heejin grumbles, pressing the cancel button with more force than necessary. The rice, already half cooked, swells in its plastic container, the steam having nowhere to escape from its prison. Heejin grimaces as she peels back the cover, a blast of hot air hitting her straight in the eye. “Fixed it.”

  
Hyunjin snorts.

  
\--

  
They do this almost every night.

  
Sometimes it’s Heejin bringing fruits or other assortment of snacks and foods that don’t need to be cooked to be consumed. But usually, it’s Hyunjin offering to whip up something quick and easy as they take a break from studying.

  
A week passes with nothing happening. Heejin shuffles her hand forward, trying to get their fingers to touch. Hyunjin is way too busy drinking her tea and finishing her math problems to ever notice.

  
And just like that, a month flashes by.

  
Nothing happens except Heejin’s sure she’s gained like maybe twenty kilos from how much late night snacking she’s been doing with the other girl, but that’s a necessary sacrifice in this flirtationship (_could it even be called that?_). They’ve exchanged numbers at this point, and text good morning and good night despite only living three doors down from each other – and the times they do spend together is so tooth-achingly sweet and domestic that Heejin isn’t sure if she wants anything to change.

  
It feels like they’re dating already – except they’re not. They’re not dating.

  
Heejin wishes they were though.

  
(_And maybe_, she thinks, _ so does Hyunjin?_)

  
They know each other’s schedule at this point, and just in time, Hyunjin rolls up to the crowded living room with a pot in hand.

  
Heejin, having arrived a couple seconds earlier, stands in the hallway between the kitchen and living room. “Both are taken,” she announces, helping alleviate some of the weight by taking the _ Samyang _ ramen and egg out of the pot Hyunjin’s carrying.

  
“Hm,” Hyunjin dips her head in between both rooms before returning to where Heejin stands waiting. “Where should we go?”

  
“I would say my room, but I think Hyejoo’s playing some important game and I don’t want to bother her.”

  
Hyunjin cracks a grin, “Do you still think she’s a demon?”

  
“Oh yeah, definitely,” Heejin nods aggressively, “She recently became friends with Chaewon and Yerim and the three are always up to something or another. But she’s a cool demon, and I want to stay on her good side in case she starts Armageddon or something similar.”

  
“Understood. That’s not unreasonable at all.”

  
“Shut up.”

  
“Clever comeback,” Hyunjin chuckles, “How about my room then? No roommates, and I have a small folding table I can bring out for us to study on?”

  
“Always prepared I see.”

  
“I’m an RA, they train us for a reason.”

  
“Do they train you to flirt with your residents too?” Heejin nudges her with her shoulder.

  
Hyunjin rolls her eyes, “Only the cute ones.”

  
“Am I cute?”

  
“No,” Hyunjin says curtly, making her way to the kitchen to make the ramen, “You’re not.”

  
“H-Hey!” Speeding her steps to catch up with Hyunjin’s longer strides, Heejin dodges the four bodies curled around the circular table as she hops onto a counter, sitting where she wouldn’t be in the way. After placing the pot full of water on the burner, Hyunjin makes her way over to where she’s sitting, left elbow placed on top of her thigh as Hyunjin cradles her chin and cheek with the palm of her hand.

  
Heejin gulps.

  
They’re close enough that if she were to lean forward, just a little bit, she could kiss Hyunjin.

_  
Wow. _

_  
She could kiss Hyunjin. _

  
Just a slightest tilt of her head and she could just make-out with Kim Hyunjin right here, right now. In this kitchen full of tormented students. A public show.

  
But she doesn’t. And Hyunjin doesn’t move either.

  
Instead, Hyunjin’s big round eyes stare up at her – Heejin can’t look back, her nerves shot by the proximity. She lowers her gaze, opting to stare at the bread slippers that she’s figured out is one of Hyunjin’s favorite pair of footwear.

  
“You lose,” Hyunjin says softly, hilarity clear in her tone.

  
Heejin gawks at no one in particular, “I lose?”

  
“You chickened out,” Hyunjin returns to the now boiling pot of water. Heejin misses the weight – the warmth – on her leg.

  
“I chickened out of what?” Heejin is beyond confused.

  
“Nothing,” Hyunjin says, sprinkling the ramen soup and condiments as she mixes the noodles.

  
\--

  
“Just fucking _ kiss _ her.”

  
Heejin cowers as Chaewon throws her hands up in the air, clearly infuriated by the lack of action taken on her end.

  
“Shouldn’t she kiss _ me _ first?” She argues back timidly, recoiling as Jungeun slams a hand down on the table. Heejin throws Jiwoo and Yerim a look from across the table, mouthing a “help me” that goes ignored as the two sit with arms crossed, clearly unamused.

  
“You idiot! You guys have been doing this for a month now!” Chaewon huffs, her tiny self puffed out in outrage, “Just kiss her!”

  
“But the timing –”

  
“Was perfect and you missed it,” Yerim nods sagely from where she sits, eyes closed to further inflate her (_faux_) wise image. “Who knows when the next opportunity will present itself.”

  
Jiwoo takes a bite of the pizza, almost ripping the slice in half as she crams the food into her mouth. A garbled “Don’t think about it” exits her mouth, but Heejin’s too distracted by Jungeun flicking her on her forehead. “Hyunjin’s a weird one. I’m sure she’s been thinking about kissing you forever, so just go for it!”

  
“What about consent? They drilled that into us the first days – I thought RAs were supposed to uphold that!”

  
“Yes, consent is important!” Jungeun falters, suddenly conflicted, “But…”

  
“But you two have crossed the line of consent a long time ago – I’m surprised you haven’t jumped each other yet,” Chaewon snorts, stuffing a fry into her mouth. “I’ve seen the way you two act around each other. She likes you, you like her. Just _ date _ already.”

  
“But—”

  
“No buts!”

  
Heejin sighs.

  
\--

  
Another week passes by without a single thing changing.

  
Actually, a lot of things change – Heejin’s suddenly swarmed with three different problems sets, and that research paper she set off doing for the longest time is suddenly due Friday, and she’s only two out of fifteen pages in. Besides her procrastination, Chaewon and Yerim hang out in her room constantly now. Whenever she returns, they’re just there, sitting around, loitering on her and Hyejoo’s shared room floor or on Hyejoo’s bed. Heejin doesn’t quite understand the nature of their friendship, but she lets it go, grabbing her backpack, her charger, and her Stitch plushie as she heads towards Hyunjin’s room.

  
“Don’t stay up too late,” Hyejoo calls from her desk, looking at her with what Heejin can only call roommate affection. Heejin smiles back, patting her lightly on the shoulder as she walks past, “I’ll see you later.”

  
Exiting her room, she turns right, heading towards Hyunjin’s room down the end of the hall. She knocks, mostly out of politeness, though she knows by now that Hyunjin is usually lounging on her comfortable bean bag cushion, probably in the same oversized black hoodie that she uses as pajamas.

  
“Just open the door,” a voice says from inside. Heejin does as commanded, entering into Hyunjin’s rather spacious room.

  
She kicks her slippers off to the side, practically throwing her stuff in her usual corner of the low-lying table. Only her Stitch is gently placed on top of Hyunjin’s bed, tucked between a small bread and a larger cat plushie.

  
Hyunjin looks up from her place on her bean chair, an eyebrow quirked at the mountain of papers Heejin pulls from her backpack onto the table.

  
“Another all-nighter?”

  
“Unfortunately,” Heejin says between gritted teeth, “My procrastination got the best of me and I’ll be stuck here for a while.”

  
“Well,” Hyunjin kicks her feet up on the edge, curling into a ball as she continues reading (Heejin never knows how Hyunjin’s so on top of her shit for a math major minoring in econ, but it’s Hyunjin so she doesn’t bother questioning her). “You’re free to stay for as long as you’d like.”

  
“I might be here all night.”

  
“I’m a heavy sleeper.”

  
“I know,” Heejin sighs, pouting. “I’m sorry.”

  
Hyunjin sends her a fond smile from where she sits, “Seriously, don’t worry about it. Do you need anything to eat or drink?”

  
Heejin shakes her head, “No. I have to concentrate. Thanks though.”

  
“Okay. Just let me know.”

  
“Yeah, will do.”

  
Throwing open her laptop and plugging in her chargers in one of the many extension cords Hyunjin has lying around, Heejin throws on her glasses and stoops over her laptop to crunch out the research paper first.

  
Three hours pass by the time she’s finished writing ten pages, feeling exhausted and completely burnt out. She taps on her phone, answering a couple of texts from her friends, and one from Hyejoo asking if it was okay if Chaewon and Yerim slept over.

  
“_Of course,_” she says, voicing her text out loud. Hyunjin gives her a curious look but returns to focusing on the novel she’s almost finished with in the time it takes for Heejin to completely unravel. “I’ll probably be at Hyunjin’s all night. See you tomorrow.”

  
“Your demon roommate?”

  
“Yeah,” Heejin responds, tying her hair up into a messy bun only to loosen it immediately after tightening the last strand. It’s an anxiety-led compulsive thing. “Is it okay if I sleepover?”

  
“Yeah, you can have the bed.” Placing the book to the side, Hyunjin stands, walking towards her closet to pull out an extra blanket, “I can sleep on the floor.”

  
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Heejin grumbles, her hands typing out another error-riddled paragraph. “I’ll take the floor. I doubt I’ll actually sleep tonight anyways.”

  
Hyunjin sighs, placing the extra blanket on the floor anyways. “How much longer do you think? It’s alright one in the morning.”

  
“The night’s still young.”

  
“Jesus Christ.”

  
Heejin throws a shaky smile at the other, sheepish and apologetic. “I have five more pages and I _ have _ to finish at least one of the PSETs by tomorrow.”

  
“Anything I can do to help?” Concern is clear on Hyunjin’s face – from how her eyes fold downwards, how her teeth capture her bottom lip in worry. Heejin, had she been in the right state of mind, would have melted at the look of absolute partiality that colors her eyes.

  
Instead, it’s panic that throws her heart off-beat, anxiety replacing affection in all the worst ways.

  
“No, I’m okay, I got this.” Heejin says – the words sound hollow, even to her own ears, but it’s enough to placate Hyunjin for now.

  
\--

  
It’s three in the morning when Heejin absolutely loses it.

  
Her essay remains unfinished: the space where the conclusion paragraph should sit is glaringly empty, the document is still a haphazard mess of red and blue underscores peppering the pages, and her PSET (all five questions) is still the same pristine white. Her stuff is scattered everywhere, and her Stitch plushie remains useless, its usual comfort overtaken by the panic thrumming in her blood.

_  
She’s going to fail. _

  
God, she’s going to fail this essay, this class. She’s going to get a big, fat “F” and it’s going to tarnish her academic record forever.

_  
Holy shit, she’s going to fail. _

  
She should drop out.

_  
No, no it’s too late to drop now. _

  
Frustration wells deep within her chest. It rises up and up, crushing her windpipe as it settles in the back of her throat like a wet rock, stuck in her vocal chords. Absolute defeat fuses into the slimy exterior, adding another layer of sediment that blocks her from thinking clearly; then, just as she thinks she can choke down this horrible concoction of hopelessness and unease, the desperate need for sleep slams her in the face.

  
She wants to sleep.

  
Fuck, she _ just _ wants to sleep.

  
Heejin groans, staring at the work she has in front of her. The empty papers shine back at her mockingly, and her laptop screen, brightened for her bleary eyes, blink back the vertical line that urges her to write – to continue – to finish this damn thing. The time in the lower right corner blinks back three.

  
She sniffles.

  
The sound is quiet at first, barely perceptible in the crinkling of papers as she gathers them, holding them up to cover her face. But then, her nose starts clogging and the giant wet rock in the back of her throat stops her from breathing, so she sniffles louder and louder. The breath in her throat hitches, her chest stuttering as teardrops of frustration well in the corner of her eyes.

  
Heejin places her glasses to the side, using one hand to rapidly wipe the tears away.

  
“Heejin?”

  
Hyunjin is sitting opposite of her. Concern, fondness, and all these gentle warm emotions are decorated all so clearly on every part of her face; from the way her eyes crinkle to the slope of her eyebrows, from the downwards curl of her lips pulled into a worried frown to the slight indentation of her chin from where she clenches her jaw.

  
Another tear breaks loose before she can stop herself. Heejin thrusts the papers in her hand in front of her face, the printed articles used as a physical barrier to block the other from seeing her completely breakdown. Hyunjin’s seen her when she’s bad, disheveled, but this is a new low.

  
Her hair is everywhere, her eyes puffy and red, and her bottom lip bleeding and swollen from having nervously gnawed on it all night. She’s ugly, frustrated, and oh so fucking tired.

  
“I’m fine,” Heejin manages to choke out, swallowing another sob as a particularly large glob of tears drop into her lap. “Sorry.”

  
“Heejin,” Hyunjin’s voice is commanding but quiet. A kind hand places itself against Heejin’s trembling one, gentle pressure lowering the barricade until the papers return to their original position on the desk. Heejin keeps her face turned towards the floor, unable to look at the other.

  
Hyunjin persists, her large hand and long fingers curling up against the pink skin of her cheeks; Heejin would have blushed at the contact if she weren’t too busy crying.

  
“Hey, look at me,” Hyunjin says quietly, all traces of her usual playful self gone. Sincerity is left in its wake, gentle affection pulsing in ever word. Heejin does as she’s told, mostly because she’s too tired to complain.

  
Hyunjin rewards her with a smile. Heejin watches as Hyunjin raises her other hand, fingertips cautiously tucking Heejin’s hair behind her ear. And then she leans forward.

  
The kiss is quick, a barely perceptible warmth against her own lips.

  
Heejin sits, dazed.

  
“You’re okay, you got this. I’m here to help,” Hyunjin says soothingly. Her hand is still pressed against Heejin’s cheek. “I’ll look through your essay and edit what you have. You work on your PSET. Okay?”

  
Heejin nods dumbly.

  
“Okay.”

  
“Good,” Hyunjin smiles at her. She tilts forward again, lips pressing gently against her forehead this time. “Everything will be okay.”

  
“Everything will be okay,” Heejin echoes. With one last sniff, she wipes her sleeve across her eyes, glasses placed back on her face with a look of weary determination taking its place. “Everything will be okay.”

  
\--

  
And everything was okay.

  
The PSET turns out to be easier than expected, and she finishes in thirty minutes. Of course, there’s no guarantee the answers are even mildly correct, but she’s finished and that’s all Heejin cares about.

  
Hyunjin remains bent over her laptop, slowly reading her unfinished report and typing out corrections at a speed similar to an old granny in the process of figuring out the intricacies of technology. She thinks about teasing Hyunjin for it, but the girl sitting with her knees curled against her chest, fingers cautiously typing is an image that’s too cute to ruin. (_She’ll just have to save the jokes for next time_.)

  
With a dramatic twirl of her pen, Heejin flops forward, forehead thudding loudly against the table. “I’m finished,” she mumbles, the ache of her head dulled by sleep that pulls at her. “Thank you for helping me.”

  
“It’s fine,” Hyunjin says, her voice mellowed from lethargy. “I finished the corrections. You just need to type out the conclusion and send it.”

  
Taking her laptop back from Hyunjin, Heejin groans. Her fingers move quickly, her eyes unblinking until the last sentence is written and saved.

  
“And we’re done!” She topples forward, crumpling on top of the table, “And it’s only… four in the morning.”

  
“Yay,” Hyunjin cheers weakly, her usual immaculate posture slouched in favor of comfort over form. The bags beneath her eyes are dark and clear against her skin, and Heejin, despite her delirious self, has enough in her to feel extremely apologetic about the whole thing.

  
“Sorry, for making you stay up and help me.”

  
Hyunjin shrugs, eyes closing despite her very best efforts to stay awake. “I’m fine.”

  
“You’re clearly not,” Heejin grumbles. She stands, pushing her stuff into the corner (the mess could be cleaned _ after _ they get some much-needed sleep) so she can pull at Hyunjin’s arm, urging the other to slide between the covers. “Come on, you have to go to bed now.”

  
“Brush your teeth and wash your face,” Hyunjin grumbles, pushing at Heejin’s cheek with her palm as she crawls into the welcoming bed. “And then you can join me.”

  
Heejin gawks. “Are you joking?”

  
“Absolutely not. Cavities are bad. And your breath gets smelly.”

_  
Well, that’s just insulting_.

  
“Did _ you _ brush your teeth?”

  
“Always. Did it when I went to the bathroom an hour ago,” Hyunjin grunts, using her feet to kick Heejin towards the door.

  
Heejin huffs. “Fine. I’ll be back.”

  
“Mm,” Hyunjin flips over on her side, already too busy snuggling beneath the blankets with Heejin’s Stitch to properly respond. “Hurry up.”

  
By the time she manages to brush her teeth and wash her face (moisturizing is very important!), Hyunjin is already fast asleep. One leg is kicked out from beneath the blanket that covers all the way up her nose, and the discarded Stitch sits upside-down in the corner of her bed. It’s so cute.

  
It’s so, _ so _ damn cute.

  
“You’re so unfair,” she mumbles to no one in particularly as she turns off the lights and spreads the blanket Hyunjin pulled out onto the floor. Maneuvering her body to avoid waking Hyunjin, she grabs her Stitch to use as a pillow for the night, body shriveled beneath the fluffy blanket.

  
Sleep hits as soon as her head touches the pillow.

  
\--

  
Heejin manages to sleep past all her alarms.

  
She’s missed her morning and afternoon class, but they’re watching a movie for her World Lit. class and she’s sure she can get the notes from Ryujin or someone in their shared math course so, there are worse days she could have missed.

  
Besides, she’s reluctant to get up. Hyunjin’s bed is so, _ so _ soft, and her comforter is at least three inches of memory foam so the springs of the awful mattress the school provides can’t even be felt through it.

_  
Whatever_. Heejin throws her phone to the side, promising to email and text back her professors and friends later. She can use another three hours of sleep.

  
\--

  
Hyunjin is back by the time she wakes up again.

  
It’s past lunchtime, but there’s a plate of pasta and a rather vibrant looking Caesar salad sitting on the table. Hyunjin is on her laptop besides the food, Bluetooth headphones (similar to the ones Hyejoo has) covering her ears.

  
Heejin sits up, unsteady, face swollen as though she had been nailed by a solid punch to the eye. She’s not sure how much she’s slept, but it feels like she’s been awakened from a coma.

  
Apparently, she looks the same way she feels because Hyunjin starts laughing.

  
“What?”

  
Hyunjin continues to cackle, headphones pulled down so they rest around her neck. “You look so confused.”

  
Heejin huffs.

  
“Stop laughing.”

  
Hyunjin does. But then she takes a photo instead.

  
“Hyunjin!”

  
“You look so ugly,” Hyunjin snorts out between laughter. The camera flashes again. “No, _ no,_ don’t hide beneath the blankets! Come out.”

  
“Not until you stop mocking me!”

  
“Okay, okay, I’ll put my phone away. It’s already like two in the afternoon, and I brought you some lunch. Truce?”

  
Heejin pulls back the blanket so only her eyes peer out. They narrow into a glare, suspicion clear. “Promise no more photos?”

  
Hyunjin nods, “Promise.”

  
“Delete the ones you took?”

  
“Absolutely not. I’m making this my phone background.”

  
“_Hyunjinnnnn_!”

  
Hyunjin flaunts her phone – just like she promised, Heejin’s unkempt self, zoomed and awful in all angles, fills the screen.

  
“I hate you!”

  
“Thank you.”

“Not a compliment.”

  
“I’m taking it as one anyways.”

  
Heejin sulks, falling onto her back in childish protest. “You’re impossible!”

  
Hyunjin just laughs in response. “Eat already. Your body probably needs everything it can get since you’ve pulled like what? Three all-nighters this week?”

  
“Just one, thank you very much.”

  
“Close enough.”

  
“How did I end up on your bed anyways?” Heejin finally sits up. She palms at the mattress beneath her; if she recalls correctly, she definitely fell asleep on the floor and definitely not a cushiony bed. “Did I crawl up in my sleep? Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Jiwoo talked about how I sometimes sleepwalk but I seriously didn’t think —”

  
“I picked you up.”

  
Heejin startles. “What?”

  
“I picked you up,” Hyunjin speaks without missing a beat, “You weigh like nothing and sleep like a log so, it was fairly easy just getting you into bed.”

  
“You know, that sounds pretty awful out of context.”

  
“What are you going to do? Report me for letting you sleep on my bed instead of the floor? Oh no, I’m _ so _ scared.”

  
Whatever fluttering sensation that reverberates in her chest dies as quickly as they come with Hyunjin’s sarcasm. Heejin sighs, “You’re such an ass.”

  
“Just come eat already,” Hyunjin taps at the bowl of plastic wrapped pasta and the still shining plate of greens. She’s smiling though, unfazed.

  
Exiting the warm bed with much reluctance, Heejin settles at the table, purposefully shoulder Hyunjin as she physically bullies the girl to make some space between so she too could watch whatever was playing.

  
“Puppy ASMR? That exists?”

  
“Yeah, they just put a microphone next to the food bowl and that’s basically it.”

  
“Hyunjin,” Heejin gives her a quizzical look, “What?”

  
“Want to hear? It’s kind of cute.”

  
Heejin hesitates. The onscreen puppy _ is _ really cute. “Okay, yeah sure. Why not?”

  
Hyunjin ends up subscribing to the channel after the fifth video, and Heejin, despite all her complaining and cringing, secretly writes down the name of the uploader in her phone notes. She’d rather be dead than caught watching puppy ASMR, but honestly, the little noises the dog makes as it laps up the food really did send a strangely relaxing tingle down her spine.

  
“It reminds me of you,” Hyunjin says as Heejin is in the middle of spooning another massive bite of pasta into her mouth.

  
“_Mmmph_?” She means to say “me?” but the pasta in her mouth prevents her from verbalizing clearly.

  
“Yeah, you.”

  
She swallows. “Why?”

  
Hyunjin switches her tabs. A list of math equations that’s more letters than numbers fills the screen. Heejin doesn’t understand a single thing, but then again, she doesn’t even try.

  
“Cute, whiny, and unable to cook for themselves.”

  
Heejin paws at the other, “Was the last part necessary?”

  
“Absolutely. If it weren’t for your inability to cook, we would have never talked,” Hyunjin chuckles. She pushes back her laptop, pulling out a notebook and scribbling down what Heejin assumes to be a part of her homework.

  
No wonder she always seemed so relax while the rest of them scramble: Hyunjin actually does her work at an adequate time.

  
Interesting strategy. Maybe she should try sometime.

  
“Never?” Heejin prods at the girl again, trying to prod her attention away from her screen and back to her. “You would never come say hi?”

  
Hyunjin whacks at her hand. She growls a little in annoyance, but Heejin continues to bother her, unperturbed. As much as Hyunjin likes to pretend she’s tough and strong, Heejin soon realized she’s a huge softie at the end of the day – spending an obscene amount of time together also apparently means they get to know each other’s secrets (like the fact Hyunjin cries at horror movies because they’re scary, or like how Heejin is afraid of pigeons. That sort of stuff).

  
“No.”

  
Heejin presses on, her cheek smooshed against Hyunjin’s shoulder, “Why not?”

  
“You’re too pretty.”

  
Hyunjin’s nose grazes the top of her hair as she cranes her neck slightly to look down at her. Heejin tilts her head upwards in response.

  
And this time, it’s her turn to smirk.

  
“You’re not bad yourself, Kim Hyunjin.”

  
Hyunjin snorts in a futile attempt to hide the blush that colors her cheeks, “What a compliment.”

  
Heejin edges just a little closer. She scoots upwards so her chin now rests fully on Hyunjin’s shoulder. It’s a tentative move, one that leaves enough space so Hyunjin can push forward or back – whatever she wants. (Yet anticipation takes a hold of her chest, it’s strong fingers squeezing her heart painfully.)

  
But Hyunjin stays unmoving.

  
Heejin takes it as her third win.

  
“You’re cute though,” she compliments (complains?) with a pout. “You have nice eyes, pretty smile. Plus, you’re a total jock – that _ has _ to earn your points with the girls!”

  
“Really?” Hyunjin hums, “Does it earn points with you?”

  
Heejin falters, mind reeling with possible answers: _ definitely. Yes. Please. Of course it does – you’re a nerdy jock, that’s the hottest thing anyone could be_. However, a cool “Do you want it to?” leaves between the space of her smiling lips.

  
“What a question.”

  
Hyunjin continues to stare down at her. Heejin stares back. A sort of electricity sparks in the small gap between – palpable, crackling against skin, _ there_.

  
“You kissed me last night.” It’s a cautious start, but a heavy bomb nevertheless. “Why?”

  
The answer comes quicker than she expects: “I like you.”

  
Hyunjin doesn’t so much as waver. She doesn’t even blink. Heejin feels blood rushing to her head. It’s hard to think. She doesn’t know what to say – but she doesn’t have to, not when Hyunjin leans forward, her nose a mere centimeter from her own.

  
“Did it bother you?”

  
The breath Heejin doesn’t even realize she’s holding in sticks to the back of her throat like glue. “No.”

  
Hyunjin edges closer. “Do you like me?”

  
“I like you,” the response is almost automatic. Her chest expands, stomach sucked in. “I like you so, _ so _ much.”

  
There’s barely any space between their lips anymore. Heejin can feel the faint outline of Hyunjin’s smile against her skin – it hovers, like a specter, there but not _ quite_.

  
Heejin thinks she’s going insane. (She hopes Hyunjin feels the same way.)

  
“Can I kiss you?” Hyunjin’s voice is low. Heejin feels a stab in her heart.

  
She closes her eyes and nods.

  
A warm hand cups her nape, fingers gently guiding her forward until Hyunjin’s lips catch her own. Heejin freezes for a moment until Hyunjin’s other hand moves up to cradle her cheek, coaxing her lips to move in their unhurried pace. This kiss feels different from last night; the same fondness is present in the way Hyunjin moves, slow and welcoming, but there’s restraint, too.

  
Heejin feels the hesitation – the uncertainty – as they part. The question that lie between them for months, remains unanswered, untouched.

_  
What are we? _ Hyunjin asks, forehead pressed against her own.

  
And while Heejin doesn’t quite know the answer yet, she responds by curling her arms around Hyunjin’s waist, fingers playing with the soft fabric of her shirt. It’s almost unsettling, how stable Hyunjin is even as the whole world continues to spin around her.

  
“Kiss me again?” She asks instead, answering a question with another.

  
And Hyunjin does.

  
Again, and again, and again.

  
\--

  
“Are you _ still _ pulling all-nighters?”

  
Jungeun points at her with the end of her chopsticks. Jiwoo quickly smacks her shoulder, tutting. “Jungie, that’s so rude! You should know better than to point at people with your chopsticks!”

  
Heejin stirs her curry listlessly. “I skip class once and you’re chewing me out now? It’s the weekends, let me live!”

  
“That doesn’t mean you should keep staying up and sleeping until midday!” Jungeun continues nagging, though now it's without the use of her chopsticks. “I know you’re gay and all, but that doesn’t mean you should be staying up that late.”

  
“I don’t quite understand the correlation between being gay and not sleeping, but okay.”

  
“That’s not the point,” Jiwoo cuts in, giving Jungeun the side-eye, “What we’re trying to say is that you should try to sleep earlier.”

  
The curry is supposed to be brown and just a little spicy. This curry looks a little like slime – it almost glows green from the sunlight that filters in, and the artificial sweetness overpowers the other subtle flavors. Heejin lets her spoon drop into the goop, the contents of her bowl left untouched.

  
“Not my fault I’ve been getting assigned a bunch of work, all at once. It’s like the professors are _ trying _ to kill us.”

  
“That’s not what I heard from Yerim. Says you’ve been sleeping through meals,” Jungeun retorts.

  
Jiwoo chimes in, “Not to mention, you procrastinate more than anyone I’ve ever met. I’m surprised you’re getting _ any _ of your work done.”

  
“That’s so mean,” Heejin whines, “I’m doing my best.”

  
“Yeah right,” Jungeun snorts all while Jiwoo gives her a look of concern. They make a wonderful tag-team, Heejin thinks, one that knows all her weak points and isn’t afraid to press all of them. At once.

  
It’s a little unfair.

  
“I’m fine,” she insists, stirring her curry again. _ Maybe Hyunjin could make a better curry? _ “I’ve been sleeping more, and Hyunjin has been cooking stuff for me whenever I accidentally sleep through dinner.”

  
“Hyunjin?”

  
“She has?”

  
Perfect timing again.

_  
Does that happen if you date for a long time? _ Heejin gnaws on her lower lip. She’d be lying if she says she hates the idea of synching up perfectly with Hyunjin.

  
“Hyunjin what?”

  
A fourth voice joins the fray.

  
Heejin turns. Hyunjin waves at her from behind. She’s wearing one of Heejin’s oversized flannels (so _ that’s _ where it went) and a plain white shirt Heejin hasn’t seen before. 

  
Jiwoo’s mouth drops open.

  
“Heejin, isn’t that your flannel?”

  
Jungeun attempts to slide her finger in between her girlfriend’s lips. Jiwoo snaps her jaw shut in retaliation.

  
Hyunjin slips into the chair next to Heejin, eyes narrowed in worry as she watches Jungeun yelps in pain, hand clutching a finger with a bite mark indented into her skin.

  
“Is Jungeun okay?” Hyunjin asks. Heejin feels a familiar weight sneak its way around her shoulder. She instinctively cuddles against the other, nose pushing against Hyunjin’s cheek in a chaste show of affection.

  
“She’s fine. Jiwoo and Jungeun always do this.”

  
Hyunjin nods once, though the concern stays on her face. “Okay, if you say so.”

  
“Wait, what’s going on?” Jiwoo waves a hand – it’s almost frantic. “Are you two together?”

  
“What? Heejin and Hyunjin?” The hiss of pain abruptly stops as Jungeun whips her head to look in their direction. “You’re dating? And you didn’t tell us?”

  
“Are we dating?” Hyunjin asks. It’s not directed to anyone in particular.

  
Heejin blinks, “Are we?”

  
“Wait, what the fuck does that mean?” Jungeun cuts in again, eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean you don’t know? Did you kiss?”

  
Heejin has the decency to at least blush, but Hyunjin just nods, further proving her point by kissing her on the ear. It’s completely unnecessary, but Heejin appreciates the contact.

  
And apparently so does Jiwoo because she pushes forward this time, shining eyes double their size as she claps her hands together in delight.

  
“You’re dating!”

  
“I guess?” Heejin replies, glancing at Hyunjin again. The latter just shrugs.

  
“If Jiwoo says so, I guess we are.”

  
Jiwoo squeals, “Jungie, aren’t they so cute! And she’s wearing Heejin’s flannel!”

  
“Gay.”

  
“You of all people shouldn’t be saying that,” Hyunjin quips, “I remember how much you talked about Jiwoo before you started dating.”

  
This time, it’s Jungeun’s turn to sputter. A fire burns across her cheeks and up her ears, discoloring her skin in a rather cute shade of red as she half-threatens a smirking Hyunjin with a spork and half-hushes a cooing Jiwoo.

  
“You did?” Jiwoo says, a mix of adoration and awe in her voice.

  
Jungeun carries on fumbling.

  
“Maybe we should go?” Hyunjin chuckles, eyeing the couple across the table before looking down to Heejin’s half-eaten meal. “Do you want me to make curry?”

  
Heejin nods, pushing the tray towards the bickering two. “Yes please. This was… not the best.”

  
“Agreed. I’m surprised you managed to stomach as much as you did.”

  
“I get practice eating your stuff.”

  
“Alright, never mind. I’m not cooking you anything.”

  
“Wait no,” Heejin whines, standing as Hyunjin already proceeds to move towards the exit without her. “I’m kidding, come back!”

  
“It’s too late,” Hyunjin calls back, though she stalls by the stacked fruit, right next to salad bar. Heejin crashes into her regardless, purposefully knocking her back a couple of steps as her arms loop around the other’s waist.

  
“You’re a mean girlfriend.”

  
Heejin doesn’t mean to use the word girlfriend, but the word slips past too easily – too perfectly. And by the looks of Hyunjin’s smile, wide, bright, and unabashedly happy, she doesn’t mind either.

  
“Girlfriend,” Hyunjin tests the words out on her own tongue. Heejin’s heart staccatos in response.

  
Hyunjin grins at her. “Yeah. We’re girlfriends.”

  
“And girlfriends cook their girlfriends curry!”

  
“I can’t argue with that logic,” Hyunjin chuckles, “Well then, do you think your roommate would like apples in her curry? I’m thinking of making a bunch for the people on our floor – let’s call it an impromptu floor event.”

  
Heejin purses her lips together, pretending to be deep in thought. “I’m sure even demons would occasionally like some sweetness.”

  
Hyunjin laughs, grabbing an apple off the counter and tossing it into the air. “You’re right. How silly of me. Shall we get going then?”

  
A hand is held her way, and at the end of the outstretched arm stands Hyunjin, laughing, shining – waiting.

  
Hyunjin’s inviting her, fingers parted to lace through her own.

  
The decision is easy.

  
Heejin eagerly takes the plunge.

**Author's Note:**

> @nxpenthe_aus (main: @chuchuuwuo, but i'm currently taking a break!)  
cc: chuchuuwuo
> 
> i wanted this to be 5k max, but i went insane and then before i knew it, it became 12k.  
but anyways! enjoy!! will i make another fluff? probably not for a long time!


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